Garment strap reinforcement



April 28, 1942. E. LYFORD GARMENT STRAP REINFORCEMENT Fi led Sept. 9, 1940.

22 27122172 Ay/brcz l N V EN TO R Patented Apr. 28, 1942 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE 8 Claims.

This invention relates to a shoulder strap reinforcement for garments or wearing apparel of the type requiring xtremely fine and neat workmanship in the construction thereof. The invention may accordingly be considered especially applicable to womens undergarments, such as slips and supporters of various kinds which include thin and narrow shoulder straps of delicate fabric and like material.

An object of the invention is to provide a shoulder strap reinforcement of the character stated, which is so constructed and designed as to assure a substantial and reliable connection between the garment and the straps, while at the same time enhancing rather than detracting from the appearance of the garment as a whole.

Another object of the invention is to provide a strap reinforcement structure of the kind referred to, which is applicable to new garments or is capable of serving also as a replacement strap upon used garments or apparel, as well.

A further object is the accomplishment of the stated objectives at a minimum expense and with the use of simple means readily available in tailoring or clothing manufacturing establishmerits.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a device of the invention as it appears befor application to a garment or article of apparel.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of one representative type of garment, showing the device of the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 1.

In the application of shoulder straps and the like to dainty garments such as womens slips, common practice has been to sew or tack the ends of the straps directly to the material of the garment. Although in some instances it was customary to fold over the material of the garment or the strap at the point of attachment, and then apply the necessary stitching for attachment, this practice furnished a generally ineffective reinforcement incapable of precluding tearing away of the material and destruction of the joint or connection. The difficulty of providing a generally acceptable and secure connection has been aggravated by reason of the fine weave and the inherent weakness of the textile structure necessarily employed in the fabrication of fine garments, together with the tendency of the strap and garment materials to fray at the ends. Moreover, the strap usually is very narrow, leaving an insufficient anchorage area which limits the extent and security of the connection.

The various difficulties mentioned have been satisfactorily obviated by means of the present invention, a detailed explanation of which follows with reference to the accompanying drawing.

In Fig. 2, the reference character 6 indicates a Woman's slip or other garment fabricated from silk, rayon, or other fine and relatively sheer material. Such garment generally includes a neck opening extending downwardly from the upper edge of the garment, which neck opening may be of any desired shape or size and is customarily bounded by a pair of spaced points or strap attaching portions 7. While the rear upper edge of the garment illustrated is substantially straight or level, this also may in some instances include a lowered back resulting in the formation of points similar to those at "I. As will become evident from a study of the description, the reinforcing strap or ribbon structure may be made to accommodate the various forms of garments in an obvious manner.

As herein disclosed by way of example, the device of the invention includes a pair of pockets 8 and 9 preferably formed of a suitable fabric comparable with that of the garment, or otherwise in keeping therewith, these being connected together by means of a suitable strap arrangement. As disclosed, one strap or ribbon II) is looped upon itself at I2, and its extreme end is fixed relative to a slidable buckle or gripper 13 through which an intermediate portion of the strap is threaded for adjusting the effective length thereof. Such buckles or grippers are well known in the art, and have been generally acceptable for the purpose mentioned.

At the loop l2, a link or connector M of rigid material is furnished, and upon thi element is suspended a terminal strap E5. The terminal strap preferably though not necessarily, is formed of a, ribbon similar to H1 and has its two integral depending ends l6 and H looped over the link I4, as is most clearly illustrated by Fig. 3. In the preferred from of the invention, the termini of the depending ends it and Il reach the mouth or the lower edges I8 of pocket 3.

The pocket 8 may be formed of one or more small pieces of fabric, and preferably is substantially triangular of shape. As herein disclosed, the pocket 8 comprises two fabric sheets, each triangular, sewed together along their outer edges l9 and 20. The seams along these edges are not visible, as the stitching preferably is disposed within the pocket due to the pocket having been turned inside-out subsequently to the sewing operation. However, it will be understood that the two thicknesses of material indicated at 2l2l of Fig. 3, are stitched together to form the edge E9 of Fig. 1.

At the apex 23 of the triangle formed by the side pieces of the pocket, the two depending ends of strap or ribbon I!- enter the pocket interior, and are fastened at the nearby points 2525 (Fig. 3), by means of stitching or otherwise. The strap end l6 extends down the inner face of side 26, whereas the strap end ll extends down the inner face of side 21. At locations near the lower edge of the pocket, the strap ends are fixed to their respective pocket sides.

By way of example, the characters 29-29 indicate stitches that maintain a fixation of the strap ends to the pocket sides, at the mouth of the pocket. It will be seen that the lower edge of each side has a hem within which is located a doubled-over end of a strap portion 16 or H. Although this furnishes a very secure construction, it should be understood that the connections at 29-29 may be formed in any known or acceptable manner so long as a substantial anchorage for each strap end is provided.

Upon applying the pocket 8 to a point such as 1 of a garment, it will readily be evident that the entire point will be embraced within the pocket, and that a line of stitching applied along the lower edge I8 of the pocket will at once fasten both pocket sides and both strap ends. l6 and I! to the garment point. This will result in a neat and highly effective durable joint or connection which will not separate even under extreme conditions of strain or abuse. It may be expected that the slide or buckle I3 will yield to abnormal tensile strains, before destruction of the pocket connection can occur. It is noteworthy that the connection at the garment point is easily and quickly effected by the single simple operation of stitching along the mouth edge E8 of the pocket.

Although, as previously stated, the triangular form of pocket connector may be applied to that end of the strap or ribbon which suspends the rear edge of the garment, it frequently is necessary to furnish a different form of connector or pocket such as is indicated at 9. This form of pocket or connector may consist of one or two pieces of fabric depending from a crease or line 30, as indicated at 3! and 32. At substantially the middle point of 30, an opening 33 is provided for reception of the two tails or ends 34 and 35 of ribbon or strap Ill. These tails or ends 34-35 begin at the transverse stitch 3t, and depend downwardly along the inner faces of flaps 3i and 32 respectively. At their lower termini, the tails are included within hems indicated at 366, and are secured within by means of lines of stitching 31 upon each flap. The hems may extend about the three edges of each flap, as indicated. If desired, the lower termini of tails or ribbons 34 and 35 may be doubled upon themselves, as explained in connection with Fig. 3.

To apply the pocket 9 to an edge of a garment, it is necessary only to insert the garment edge between the flaps .3! and 32, close the flaps against opposite faces of the garment material, and then stitch through the flaps, their hems,

the tails of the ribbons, and the garment material. The stitching last mentioned may follow substantially the line of stitching indicated at 37, when effecting the desired connection, or if desired, it may be limited in extent to follow only the longer edge of the flap.

From the foregoing, it should be evident that I have provided a very neat and durable reinforced structure for joining the ends of narrow ribbons or straps to a garment, and that the connection or joint thereby resulting is highly effective, exceedingly simple, and plainly serviceable as recited in the objects at the introduction to the specifications. As will be understood, the shape of the pocket sides may be altered to suit various types of garments, and it is immaterial whether the adjuster l3 be of one form or another. The connections at M and 36 are alternatives that may be utilized according to the wishes of the manufacturer, and these may be modified if desired. As will be obvious, adhesives may take the place of stitching wherever desired, and various other modifications and changes may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Although the invention is particularly applicable for use upon dainty garments, a heavier construction may be resorted to in the event that other types of garments are to be equipped. It should be appreciated that the shape of pockets 8 and 9 will be governed largely by the contour of the garment edges to which the device of the invention is to be applied, wherefore the invention is not to be strictly limited to the exemplary shapes herein illustrated. For instance, the apex of pocket element 8 might be so extensively rounded off, under certain conditions, as to impart substantially a half-moon shape to the pocket element. Such alterations are contemplated within the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A supporting strap structure for dainty garmerits which are structurally inherently weak, said supporting structure comprising an elongated narrow ribbon having opposite ends for attachment to portions of the garment, anchorage pockets having spaced side flaps providing enlarged surfaces for contacting equally large surfaces of the garment and providing substantial areas of fixation, the ends of the ribbon being extended into and through the pockets to substantially span the side flaps thereof, and means fixing each ribbon end to a flap at a point remote from the location at which the ribbon end enters the pocket.

2. A supporting strap structure for dainty garments which are structurally inherently weak, said supporting structure comprising an elongated narrow ribbon having opposite ends for attachment to portions of the garment, and anchorage pockets having spaced side flaps, mounted on the ends of said ribbon providing enlarged surfaces for contacting equally large surfaces of the garment and providing substantial areas of fixation, each end of the ribbon being extended to substantially span the side flaps of an anchorage pocket, and means fixing at least one ribbon end to its anchorage pocket at both ends of the span.

3. A supporting strap structure for garments, comprising an elongated narrow ribbon having an end provided with two extending tails, a hollow pocket element including spaced sheets adapted for reception of a garment edge between them,

said sheets being attachable to the included area of the garment, and means securing the extending tails of the ribbon each to one of the sheets interiorly of the pocket.

4. A supporting strap structure for garments, comprising an elongated narrow ribbon having an end provided with two extending tails, a hollow pocket element including spaced sheets adapted for reception of a garment edge between them, said sheets being attachable to the included area of the garment, and means securing the extending tails of the ribbon each to one of the sheets interiorly of the pocket, said tails being of sumcient length to span the sheets from one edge to another, with the securing means located at opposite ends of the spans.

5. A supporting strap structure for garments, comprising an elongated narrow ribbon, a loop at one end of the ribbon and an attached tail at the opposite end thereof coextensive in length with the ribbon end last mentioned whereby to provide a pair of ribbon extensions, an anchorage element comprising two depending spaced sheets meeting along common edges except at a middle point where an aperture is provided, the ribbon extension being pendant through the aperture and separated laterally, securing means along those edges of the sheets which are opposed to the apertured edges, for fixing the terminal end of each ribbon extension to its adjacent sheet, and auxiliary securing means for anchoring both ribbon extensions adjacent to the aperture.

6. A supporting strap structure for garments, comprising an elongated narrow ribbon, a loop at one end of the ribbon and an attached tail at the opposite end thereof coextensive in length with the ribbon end last mentioned whereby to provide a pair of ribbon extensions, an anchorage element comprising two depending spaced sheets meeting along common edges except at a middle point where an aperture is provided, the ribbon extensions being pendant through the aperture and separated laterally, securing means along those edges of the sheets which are opposed to the apertured edges, for fixing the terminal end of each ribbon extension to its adjacent sheet, a separate length of ribbon folded intermediate its ends and supported from the loop of the first mentioned ribbon, at the fold, a hollow triangular socket element having a pair of spaced walls joined along two meeting edges and separated along their third edges, opposite to the apex of the triangular socket element, said apex being apertured to receive therein the free ends of the folded ribbon, and means securing the folded ribbon ends one each to a wall of the triangular socket element adjacent to the separated third edges in opposed relationship to the apex aperture.

7. A supporting strap structure for garments, comprising an elongated narrow ribbon, a loop at one end of the ribbon, a separate short length of ribbon folded intermediate its ends and supported from the loop of the first mentioned ribhon, at the fold, a hollow triangular socket element having a pair of spaced walls joined along two meeting edges and separated along their third edges, opposite to the apex of the triangular socket element, said apex being apertured to receive therein the free ends of the folded ribbon, and means securing the folded ribbon ends one each to a wall of the triangular socket element adjacent to the separated third edges in opposed relationship to the apex aperture.

8. A supporting strap structure for garments, comprising an elongated narrow ribbon, a loop at one end of the ribbon, a separate short length of ribbon folded intermediate its ends and supported from the loop of the first mentioned ribbon, at the fold, a hollow triangular socket element having a pair of spaced walls joined along two meeting edges and separated along their third edges, opposite to the apex of the triangular socket element, said apex being apertured to receive therein the free ends of the folded ribbon, an interior hem along each of said separated third edges remote from the apex aperture, said free ends of the folded ribbon being extended into the hems interiorly of the socket element at opposite sides thereof, means securing said free ribbon ends within their respective hems, and means anchoring the folded ribbon to the socket element adjacent to the apex thereof.

EMMITA LYFORD. 

